Photoacoustic spectrometer for accurate,continuous measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration

We have developed a portable photoacoustic spectrometer that offers routine, precise and accurate measurements of the molar concentration of atmospheric carbon. The temperature-controlled spectrometer continuously samples dried atmospheric air and employs an intensity-modulated distributed feedback laser and fiber amplifier operating near 1.57 µm. For measurements of carbon dioxide in air, we demonstrate a measurement precision (60-s averaging time) of 0.15 µmol mol^?1 and achieve a standard uncertainty of 0.8 µmol mol^?1 by calibrating the analyzer response in terms of certified gas mixtures. We also investigate how water vapor affects the photoacoustic signal by promoting collisional relaxation of the carbon dioxide.     

Nd:YAG laser/KTiOAsO4 (KTA) OPO system for laser ultrasound measurements on carbon-fiber-reinforced composite materials

We report on a 3.3 μm laser/optical parametric oscillator system with 4.7 mJ pulse energy for laser ultrasound measurements of carbon-fiber-reinforced materials. The OPO was pumped by a compact diode-pumped Nd:YAG master-oscillator power-amplifier system with two amplifier stages. First results of laser ultrasound measurements are presented.     

High-repetition-rate femtosecond optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier in the mid-infrared

We discuss a dual-stage optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier generating sub-100-fs pulses in the mid-infrared at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. The system is based on a 1064 nm pump laser and a 3–4 μm difference frequency generation seed source derived from the output of a femtosecond fiber laser amplifier. Both lasers are commercially available, are diode-pumped, compact, and allow for turn-key operation. Here, we focus our discussion on the design and dimensioning of the optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier. In particular, we review the available gain materials for mid-infrared generation and analyze the impact of different stretching scenarios. Timing jitter plays an important role in short-pulse parametric amplifier systems and is therefore studied in detail. The geometry of the amplifier stages is optimized through a full 3-dimensional simulation with the aim of maximizing gain bandwidth and output power. The optimized system yields output pulse energies exceeding 1 μJ and an overall gain larger than 50 dB. The high repetition rate of the pump laser results in an unprecedented average power from a femtosecond parametric system at mid-infrared wavelengths. First experimental results confirm the design and the predictions of our theoretical model.     

Visualization of high-order dispersion for compression of few-cycle pulses

We present a visually intuitive method for higher-order dispersion compensation based on multi-photon interpulse interference pulse scans. The dispersion values obtained from these scans are fed back as a correction to an acousto-optical programmable dispersive filter to compensate residual higher-order dispersions up to fifth order. This method is applied to the dispersion management of a non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier. A grism-pair stretcher is designed based on a global dispersion balance which provides a large stretching factor and supports a spectral bandwidth of up to 320 nm. It is implemented in a two-stage three-pass non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier and stretches 6-fs seed pulses to about 80 ps from 700 to 1,000 nm. The amplified pulses are compressed by material dispersion. Pulses of less than 10-fs duration with a pulse energy of 125 μJ are obtained at 20-kHz repetition rate.     

Remote sensing of atmospheric gases with optical correlation spectroscopy and lidar: first experimental results on water vapor profile measurements

In this paper, the first experimental demonstration of the optical correlation spectroscopy lidar (OCS-lidar) is proposed. It is a new active remote sensing methodology to measure range-resolved atmospheric gas concentrations, based on broadband laser spectroscopy and light amplitude modulation. As a first step, a numerical study is performed for OCS-lidar measurements to optimize the accuracy of the range-resolved gas concentration measurement. Then, we demonstrate the ability of the OCS-lidar methodology to monitor the water vapor in the planetary boundary layer using the 4ν 720-nm absorption band. In addition to this first experimental proof, two different experimental configurations are proposed. The amplitude modulation, related to the optical correlation spectroscopy, is operated either at the emission with an active amplitude modulator before the backscattering process, or with passive optical filters on the laser backscattered light. For both configurations, range-resolved gas concentration measurements, achieved with a micro-pulse ground-based OCS-lidar, are presented. An extended discussion presents the mixing-ratio accuracy, which reaches ±1,000 ppm at a 2,000-m range for a range resolution of 200 m. The differences between the two experimental configurations are also discussed.     

ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY IN THE VISIBLE SPECTRAL RANGE OF TRIVALENT AND HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM IN DISTILLED WATER AND IN BUFFERS AT DIFFERENT pH VALUES

ABSTRACT

An exhaustive absorption spectroscopy study of both Hexavalent and Trivalent Chromium solutions in distilled water and in buffers in the acid range was carried out. Solutions in the wide 26 µg/L–520 mg/L concentration range were analysed in the visible spectral range by means of a conventional dual beam spectrophotometer equipped with 10 mm and 100 mm path length cuvettes in order to settle the minimum detectable concentration and the saturation limit.

Chromium detection at low concentration is of interest in environmental monitoring because of its carcinogenic risk, while high concentration monitoring is of interest in industrial process control, especially during sewage collection and recycling processes.

The presented absorption spectroscopy study was addressed to the implementation of an optical instrumentation for on-line Chromium detection making use of current optical fibre technology.     

Femtosecond laser source for real-time atmospheric gas sensing in the UV–visible

We propose an experimental method for detecting molecules in the UV–visible range using ultrashort laser pulses. Two types of sources are used: a continuum generated by 200 kHz Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier system extending from 320 to 1100 nm, and a near-gaussian femtosecond pulse (100 fs) generated by an optical parametric amplifier. Both broadband sources allow the real-time detection of the oxygen, the nitrogen dioxide NO₂ and the water vapor bands. Moreover, the concentration of NO₂ can be determined within the 10 ppb sensitivity range by using a specific nonlinear fit technique.     

基于差分光学吸收光谱方法的OH自由基定标系统研究

介绍了一种基于差分光学吸收光谱(DOAS)方法的OH自由基定标系统, 该系统可产生一定浓度的OH自由基并同时进行精确测量. 系统采用紫外灯185 nm光线分解水汽产生OH自由基, 利用500 W氙灯准直光作为光源; 使用基长1.25 m、反射次数60次、总光程75.0 m的多次反射池来增加OH自由基的吸收光程; 以超高分辨率中阶梯光栅光谱仪(最高分辨率3.3 pm)作为光谱采集系统对光谱信号进行采集, 采用DOAS测量方法获得OH自由基的浓度. 通过改变腔内水汽的浓度, 系统准确测量了5×10⁸-1.8×10¹⁰ molecules/cm³浓度范围的OH自由基. 分析了OH自由基测量过程中受到的吸收截面偏差、气压等因素影响, 得到系统总测量误差小于7.3%. 在实验的浓度范围内, 系统可用于大气OH自由基气体扩张激光诱导荧光测量技术的定标.     

Atmospheric Gas Detection with Broadband Sources

We investigate a new experimental method for detecting molecules from the ultraviolet to the near infrared range using ultrashort laser pulses. Two types of sources are used: a white light continuum generated by 200khz Ti: Sapphire regenerative amplifier system, and a near-gaussian femtosecond pulse (100 fs) generated by an optical parametric amplifier and tunable from 0.45 to 2.4 m. Up to now, this technique has only been performed in the visible domain. Both broadband sources allow the detection of the oxygen and the water vapor bands. Moreover, a new extraction method has been implemented, which provides the molecules' concentration by using a nonlinear fit technique.     

大尺度区域水汽浓度激光检测方法的研究

为了实现大尺度区域下大气中水汽浓度的高灵敏度、高精确性、快速响应检测,与遥感反演的数据进行校正,采用了TDLAS直接吸收技术结合开放式监测的方法。选择水汽分子在1.27 μm附近的单根吸收谱线为目标谱线,设计了大尺度区域水汽激光检测系统。结合多次反射池验证了系统性能,40 m光程下极限灵敏度为14.803 mmol·mol-1。利用本系统在中国科学院禹城综合试验站完成了1 420 m光程下的连续外场实验,系统工作稳定,并与同场地涡度相关观测系统中的气体分析仪LI-7500的测量数据进行了对比,数据一致性较好。为在复杂野外非均匀下垫面的水汽浓度变化的监测提供新方法。     

Off-axis re-entrant cavity ring-down spectroscopy with a mid-infrared continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrate an off-axis cavity ring-down spectroscopy system, which uses a mid-infrared continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator as a light source. Off-axis injection with re-entrant configuration of the ring-down cavity is used to achieve high spectral resolution while maintaining high measurement speed. This makes the setup suitable for sensitive molecular spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region, particularly for studies that require high temporal resolution. Formaldehyde (H₂CO) absorption spectrum at 3.4 µm is measured using the off-axis re-entrant cavity ring-down spectrometer.     

Design and realization of active infrared imaging system based on power-over-fiber technique

We present an active infrared monitoring system based on the power-over-fiber technique. The system realizes the following main functions: the power supply via optical fibers, the laser lighting, the image acquisition and processing. In the demonstration system, the high-power laser light (at the wavelength of 808 nm) in the base station is transmitted to the remote unit via a 200-m long multi-mode fiber, whose core diameter is 200 µm. The remote unit includes an optical beam splitter, a power manager module behind a photovoltaic power converter (PPC) to ensure a quasi-maximum power-supply, a camera, a microcontroller, and an optical transmitter. As the laser beam enters the remote unit, it is divided into three parts by an optical beam splitter. The first part is converted by the PPC to provide the required electrical power of the remote unit. Besides, to improve the power-supply ability of PPC, a maximum power point tracking technique is applied, and more than 77% of PPC’s maximum output power can be obtained. The other two parts of the laser beam pass through respective beam-shaping lenses and are used directly for the infrared laser lighting. Therefore, the active infrared monitoring is achieved without extra laser lighting sources. The collected image data are transmitted via another single-mode fiber to the base station for further data processing. Experiment result shows an active and unnoticed image monitoring in the dark environment.     

Design considerations for a compact grism stretcher for non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification

The dispersion management of a non-collinear optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier is presented. A stretcher based on a combination of a grating and a prism pair (grism) is given and analyzed in detail. This combination can provide up to 300 nm acceptance bandwidth and is suitable for parametric amplification of few-cycle pulses. The amplified pulses can be compressed by the dispersion of optical glasses such as SF57 and the residual high-order dispersion may be compensated by adaptive optical filters and chirped mirrors.     

Three-dimensional microscope tracking system using the astigmatic lens method and a profile sensor

We developed a three-dimensional microscope tracking system using the astigmatic lens method and a profile sensor, which provides three-dimensional position detection over a wide range at the rate of 3.2 kHz. First, we confirmed the range of target detection of the developed system, where the range of target detection was shown to be ±?90 µm in the horizontal plane and ±?9 µm in the vertical plane for a 10× objective lens. Next, we attempted to track a motion-controlled target. The developed system kept the target at the center of the field of view and in focus up to a target speed of 50 µm/s for a 20× objective lens. Finally, we tracked a freely moving target. We successfully demonstrated the tracking of a 10-µm-diameter polystyrene bead suspended in water for 40 min. The target was kept in the range of approximately 4.9 µm around the center of the field of view. In addition, the vertical direction was maintained in the range of ±?0.84 µm, which was sufficiently within the depth of focus.     

Analysis of Optical Erasure Efficiency in WDM-PONs Employing Carrier Remodulation

This paper proposes a method to monitor the operation performance of reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA)-based optical network units (ONUs) in wavelength-reuse wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network topologies. For this goal, the optical erasure efficiency of ONU RSOA is numerically evaluated through remote measurements at the optical line terminal site, using the VPI Transmission Maker software. The results show good correlation with the optical erasure behavior of RSOA in the injection power range of –20 to –5 dB, bias current of 50 and 150 mA, and confinement factor of 0.2 and 0.3. As a consequence, this method can be used to qualitatively estimate the optical and electrical features of ONU RSOA from the central office, instead of performing a local direct measurement.     

国外差分吸收激光雷达探测大气水汽廓线的研究进展

水汽含量是大气最基本的物理参量之一,大气水汽垂直分布结构对于大气过程的研究十分有意义。差分吸收激光雷达可以昼夜获取高精度、高距离分辨率的大气水汽垂直分布廓线,是最有潜力的探测手段。国际上已经发展出几种类型的差分吸收激光雷达,对它们的发展路径做一梳理,理清发展脉络,具有有益的参考价值。其中,稍早时期水汽差分吸收激光雷达工作在4ν振动吸收带720～730 nm频域,以Alexandrite为主流的激光器或者Nd∶YAG/ruby固体激光器泵浦的染料激光器作为发射光源,光电倍增管仍然可以在这个波段担任探测器,代表性的仪器是法国的机载LEANDRE Ⅱ。此后发展的820 nm波段的水汽差分吸收激光雷达,以钛宝石激光器或钛宝石光放大器为发射机,以硅的雪崩二极管作为探测器,紧跟前置放大和数据的AD采集器,如德国Hohenheim大学的车载扫描激光雷达,可以获得对流层300～4 000 m之间水汽两维或三维分布结构;德国Institutfür Meteorologie und Klimaforschung所建立的差分吸收激光雷达可以探测3～12 km高度之间大气的水汽垂直分布。720和820 nm波段水汽吸收截面较小,更适合于地基或车载的对流层水汽廓线探测。而水汽3ν振动谱935 nm区域吸收截面较大,是为了空间探测大气对流层上、平流层下相对干燥区域的水汽分布而准备的,且可以安排多个探测波长,和一个参考波长,它们对水汽的吸收截面大小呈梯度分布,以应对空间对地观测时不同高度大气水汽浓度的差别。基于种子注入的光参量振荡器或Nd∶YGG全固态激光器的935 nm差分吸收激光雷达,以德国Deutsches Zentrumfür Luft- und Raumfahrt的研究最为成功,推动了欧洲空间局立项发展空间水汽差分吸收激光雷达WALES（Water Vapour Lidar Experiment in Space）,测量从地球表面到平流层下、高垂直分辨率和高精度水汽浓度分布。机载多波长水汽差分吸收激光雷达1999年建立起来,担当空间WALES任务的模拟器,2006年完成了机载飞行试验。以823～830 nm分布布拉格反射半导体激光器和半导体光放大器为核心、采用雪崩二极管盖格光子计数技术的微脉冲差分吸收激光雷达,是差分吸收激光雷达面向商业化、可普及的方向迈出的重要一步,目前已经发展到第四代产品。发射机激光工作波长的长期稳定十分重要而棘手,以窄带连续波种子激光注入脉冲激光器的谐振腔锁定其的腔长,种子激光的波长以水汽的多通道光吸收池为参照标准,或以高精度波长计为误差获取手段,通过负反馈进行主动稳频;其次,需要仔细考虑大气对激光的后向散射光谱线型,显然Rayleigh后向散射光的多普勒展宽与水汽吸收光谱线宽度可以比拟,所以其吸收截面σ_on和σ_off必需加以修正;水汽的空间垂直分布梯度大,因此差分吸收激光雷达应该实行分通道探测。     

An Inverter-Based,CMOS, Low-Power Optical Receiver Front-End

In this paper, a low-power optical receiver front-end which consists of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and three stages of limiting amplifier (LA) for 2.5 Gb/s applications is proposed in 0.18 µm CMOS technology. The proposed TIA benefits from a modified inverter structure, in which the input resistance is properly reduced due to the use of diode-connected transistors in comparison with conventional inverter circuit. Also, an active inductor is used in parallel with a diode-connected transistor at the output node, which provides a low output resistance, while it resonates with the load capacitance to extend the ?3 dB frequency bandwidth. Moreover, three stages of LAs are used to obtain extra gain, in which each LA cell uses active inductor load. However, HSPICE simulations for the proposed TIA circuit show a 42.24 dBΩ transimpedance gain, 1.96 GHz frequency bandwidth, 11.7 pA/√Hz input referred noise, and only 972 µW of power consumption at 1.5 V supply. Also, simulation results for the whole receiver system show a 75.6 dB gain, 1.7 GHz frequency bandwidth, and 6.54 mW of power consumption at 1.5 V supply. Finally, simulation results indicate that the proposed receiver system has good performances to be used as a low-power optical receiver front-end.     

Design of full-duplex and multifunction bidirectional CMOS transceiver for optical interconnect applications

This work presents a full-duplex and multifunction bidirectional transceiver for optical interconnect application. The transceiver utilizes a common limiting amplifier/gain stage, thus reducing total chip area and total power consumption. While providing a full-duplex bidirectional transmission with the aid of a hybrid circuit between the electrical input/output (I/O) and the optoelectronic signals from the transmitter and receiver circuits, it also allows for a half-duplex operation with the aid of a switch between the transimpedance amplifier signals and the transmitter electrical input from the I/O port. The multifunction bidirectional CMOS transceiver is designed in a 0.13 µm Si-CMOS technology, with power dissipation of 79 and 54.4 mW for the transmitter and receiver, respectively. It shows a 3-dB bandwidth of 5.58 and 5.69 GHz for the transmitter and the receiver respectively and with a 3-dB gain of 66.14 and 69.6 dB, in full-duplex mode. The transceiver operates up to 7 Gb/s in full-duplex mode.     

Generation of an ultrabroadband supercontinuum in the mid-infrared region using dispersion-engineered GeAsSe photonic crystal fiber

An ultrabroadband mid-infrared (MIR) region supercontinuum (SC) is demonstrated numerically through dispersion-engineered traditional chalcogenide (ChG) photonic crystal fiber (PCF). By varying structural parameters pitch (hole to hole spacing) and air-hole diameter to pitch ratio, a number of 10-mm-long hexagonal PCFs made employing GeAsSe ChG glass as a core and air-holes of hexagonal lattice running through their lengths as a cladding are optimized to predict an efficient mid-infrared region SC spectral emission by pumping them using a tunable pump source between 2.9 and 3.3 µm. Simulations are carried out using an ultrashort pump pulse of 100-fs duration with a low pulse peak powers of between 3 and 4 kW into the optimized designs. It is found through numerical analysis that efficient SC spectral broadening with flattened output can be obtained by increasing the PCF pitch rather than increasing the PCF cladding containing air-hole diameter although a larger nonlinear coefficient could be obtained through increasing air-hole diameter of an optimized design. Simulation results show that the SC spectra can be broadened up to 12.2 µm for a certain design with a peak power of 3 kW. Using a peak power of 4 kW, it is possible to obtain SC spectral broadening beyond 14 µm with an optimized design spanning the wavelength range from 1.8 to 14 µm which covers the electromagnetic spectrum required for MIR molecular fingerprint region applications such as sensing and biological imaging.     

Validation of an extractive, airborne, compact TDL spectrometer for atmospheric humidity sensing by blind intercomparison

Accuracy, precision, repeatability and long-term stability, are the most important requirements to enable reliable airborne humidity measurements, which are needed for climate models or to validate e.g. remote sensing instrumentation like satellites. However, various hygrometer artifacts which depend on the individual sensor principle and the application profile frequently cause problems and significantly complicate the hygrometer choice. Sensor intercomparisons are one way of providing the information for an optimal choice. In this paper we present the first part of a blind, static, laboratory-based intercomparison of a new, calibration-free, 1.4 μm diode laser-based, optical hygrometer (SEALDH) with the two most important measurement principles for airborne hygrometry (frost-point hygrometers, FPH, and Lyman-alpha fluorescence hygrometers, LAFH). During three days of measurement, the TDL-hygrometer achieved a H₂O resolution of up to 0.5 ppmv (Δt=2 sec) at tropospheric pressure and H₂O concentration levels (100–800 hPa, 10 to 8000 ppmv H₂O). Its absolute accuracy was investigated via blind intercomparison with two reference FPHs and a LAFH. Without any calibration of SEALDH, i.e. without a comparison to a water vapor standard, we achieve an excellent agreement with the reference sensors, with an average systematic offset (over all three days) of ?3.9 %±1.5 %, which is fully consistent with the sensor’s uncertainty bounds. Further we also reevaluated the SEALDH data of day 2 and 3 in a calibrated mode using an independent set of FPH data from the first day and found an 8-fold accuracy improvement, yielding an excellent overall relative deviation of only 0.52 %±1.5 % with respect to a LAFH and a D/FH sensor.